If you are looking to re-create the national dish of Ireland, try out this recipe for Irish stew!
Irish Stew with Lamb
If you are looking to re-create the national dish of Ireland, try out this recipe for Irish stew!
Ingredients
- 2 tsp sunflower oil
- 6 oz smoky bacon (cut into 1/8” cubes)
- 2.5 lbs lamb meat (for stewing, cleaned & cut into large 1.5” chunks)
- ¼ cup white wine
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 4 large white onions (medium dice)
- 4 carrots (cut into ½” slices)
- 10 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 bay leaves
- 32 oz lamb stock
- 4-5 Yukon gold potatoes (washed, peeled, cubed)
- 1/3 cup pearl barley
- 2 tsp salt
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 4 scallions (finely sliced, as garnish)
Instructions
- Heat the sunflower oil in a large saute pan.
- Add the bacon and cook on medium heat until most of the fat is rendered from the bacon and the bacon is cooked, but not cooked until crispy.
- Remove the bacon from the pan and salt the chunks of lamb.
- Cook the lamb in the saute pan in the bacon fat on high heat until lightly browned.
- Remove and reserve the browned lamb on a plate.
- Turn off the saute pan and add the white wine, scraping the browned bits from the pan.
- Pour those juices with the white wine onto the lamb.
- Add 4 Tbsp butter to pan and cook the onions on medium heat for 20 minutes, or until onions are tender.
- Add the carrots and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
- Add the thyme, bay leaves, lamb stock, and lamb and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Cook the lamb stew for an additional 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, add the pearl barley and cubed potatoes.
- Cook for an additional 60 minutes on low heat
- Until the lamb chunks are fork-tender and easily pierced by a fork.
- Season with salt & freshly ground black pepper.
- Serve hot, with finely chopped scallions as garnish.
Notes
You can use cheaper cuts of lamb for the stewing meat.
This stew tastes better re-heated the next day.
This stew tastes better re-heated the next day.